This week’s question: How many books do you read a week? In what format do you read them or listen to them?

My answer: I read about one book a week. In the winter I read more; in the summer I read less. I read traditional print editions. I just love physical books…the covers, the smell of the paper, the way they look on my shelves.

What is the most emotional scene in a book that you have read lately?

I recently finished Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. This novel is filled with emotional scenes! There is one death of a child that had me in tears. I can’t write more without including a spoiler alert.

If you find a book you love, do you hunt down others by the same author?

Yes. When I find a new favorite author, I have to find out what else they have written. Sometimes, I am surprised to discover that I am not reading a debut novel, but the first of that author’s novels that was released by a big publisher. A little research can unearth many hidden gems!

This week’s question: Do you have anyone that you can discuss books with IRL? Tell us about him/her.

I work in a public library, so I discuss books with my coworkers and patrons on a daily basis. My best friend Julia and my sister Heidi also love to read, so we are always talking about books, especially fantasy novels.

Julia is from St. Petersburg, Russia, so she has a different perspective based on the Russian literature she has read over the years. I love hearing her thoughts and comparisons. Julia’s tastes range from Juliet Marillier to Gogol to Victor Pelevin.

Heidi is two years younger, and I remember reading Anne of Green Gables aloud to her back when we were girls. Heidi really loved Howl’s Moving Castle by the late Diana Wynne Jones and the Artemis Fowl series. I’m lucky that to have a best friend and sister who are also booklovers!

This week’s topic: Pick a character from a book you are currently reading or have just finished and tell us about him/her.

I’m just started reading Matched by Ally Condie. Cassia’s grandfather is an interesting character. He has a bit of a morbid sense of humor, and I feel like he is hiding a secret. Although he is not outwardly rebellious, I sense that he does not conform to the utilitarian society that he lives in as much as he leads others to believe he does. I can’t wait to read what happens next!

Follow Friday is a weekly hop hosted at Parajunkee’s View. Link up to find new reads and book blogs to follow!

This week’s topic: List five book related silly facts about you.

My list:

1. Some of my kitchen cupboards are filled with books instead of dishes.

2. If I don’t like the way a story ends, I’ll make up my own conclusion at night before I drift off to sleep. The Little Mermaid was living happily-ever-after in my mind long before Disney came out with their version.

3. Sometimes I read during load times when I’m playing my Xbox 360. This feels über-geeky.

4. One of my criteria for a handbag is that it is large enough to carry a book.

5. If I forget my book at home on a work day, I feel like my hour lunch break is ruined.

“If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?”

It’s difficult to choose just one! I don’t think I can. Here are three book worlds I want to visit:

1. The Great Gatsby:

I wish I could attend one of Gatsby’s parties. I’d wear a slinky 1920s dress, sip from a long stemmed glass, and oscillate between fivolous and political conversations.

This line lures me:

“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (Chapter 3, The Great Gatsby).

I’m sure I’d get sick of the excess and and affectations, but I’d like a taste of party life during The Jazz Age.

2. The Sevenwaters Series:

I want to live in the lovely ancient forests in the Sevenwaters series, where fey roam and the mortal inhabitants practice powerful hearth magic. Actually, I’d like to visit any of the worlds in Marillier’s novels: Wildwood, the Light Isles, Whistling Tor…well, maybe Whistling Tor is too frightening.

3. The Airborn Trilogy

Kenneth Oppel’s steampunk world is amazing. I want to ride in airships, discovering new species like cloud cats. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to board the Starclimber though. Is Airborn ever going to be made into a movie?

Follow Friday is a weekly hop hosted at Parajunkee’s View. Visit to find new reads and book bloggers!

This week: Share your current fav television show! Tell us a bit about it…

My answer: The “current” part makes me smile. I am not current at all when it comes to TV shows. I don’t even have cable. I use Netflix streaming to watch shows that are past their prime.

I’ve been watching the second season of Veronica Mars, originally aired in 2005. Veronica Mars is the teen daughter of a private investigator that also solves mysteries in Neptune, a rich and corrupt California city. After the death of her best friend, Veronica is alternately shunned and tormented by the popular kids. However, she doesn’t sit back take the abuse; she fights back with her wits. What I really like about this show is that the characters aren’t predictable. A rotten character can surprise us with a good deed or a favorite can do something despicable. I’m three episodes away from the wrap up of the overarching mystery of season two.

I’m also a fan of The Office, but I liked the earlier seasons better than the more recent ones. And how will the show go on without Steve Carell?

My friends have been recommending Dexter, so I’ll try to watch that soon. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to blood and gore, but they assure me that I can handle it. We’ll see!